Goodbye: 2012’s notable deaths

Mike Wallace, 93. The dogged CBS reporter took on politicians and celebrities in a 60-year career highlighted by on-air confrontations that helped make “60 Minutes” the most successful prime-time television news program ever. He died April 7.

Associated Press file photo

Mike Wallace, 93. The dogged CBS reporter took on politicians and celebrities in a 60-year career highlighted by on-air confrontations that helped make “60 Minutes” the most successful prime-time television news program ever. He died April 7.

Neil Armstrong would always be taking that first step onto the moon, and Dick Clark was forever “the world’s oldest teenager.” Some of the notables who died in 2012 created images in our minds that remained unchanged over decades.

Sadly, for others, an established image was shattered by a fall from grace. Whitney Houston ruled as a queen of pop music, but years of hard living harmed her voice while erratic behavior and a troubled marriage took a toll on her image. And Joe Paterno, Penn State’s longtime coach, won more games than anyone in major college football, but was ultimately fired amid a molestation scandal involving an assistant coach that scarred his reputation.

Some whose deaths we noted weren’t known by image or even name but by contributions that changed our lives – such as Norman Joseph Woodland, co-inventor of the bar code that labels nearly every product in stores.

Among the political figures who died were George McGovern, Democrat presidential nominee who lost to Richard Nixon in a historic landslide, and ex-Sen. Arlen Specter, the outspoken Pennsylvania centrist.

The year saw the deaths of a number of TV stars including Larry Hagman, who played oil baron J.R. Ewing on “Dallas,” and Jack Klugman, often remembered as the messy one of the 1970s roommates in “The Odd Couple”

Here is a roll call of some of the notable people who died in 2012. (Causes of death given for younger people.)

Joe Paterno, 85: Longtime Penn State coach who won more games than anyone in major college football but was fired amid a child sex abuse scandal that scarred his reputation for winning with integrity. Jan. 22.

Bernard Lovell, 98: Pioneering British physicist and astronomer who developed one of the world’s largest radio telescopes exploring particles in the universe. Aug. 6.

Tony Scott, 68: Director of such Hollywood blockbusters as “Top Gun,” ‘’Days of Thunder” and “Beverly Hills Cop II.” Aug. 19. Died after jumping from a bridge.

George Hickman, 88: One of the original Tuskegee airmen and a longtime usher at University of Washington and Seattle Seahawks games. Aug. 19.

Phyllis Diller, 95: Housewife-turned-humorist who aimed some of her sharpest barbs at herself, punctuating her jokes with her trademark cackle. Aug. 20.

Neil Armstrong, 82: He became a global hero when as a steely-nerved astronaut he made “one giant leap for mankind” with a small step onto the moon. Aug. 25.

September

Art Modell, 87: Former owner of the Baltimore Ravens and longtime NFL stalwart who incurred the wrath of Cleveland fans when he moved the team from Ohio. Sept. 6.

Edwin Wilson, 84: Former CIA operative who was branded a traitor and convicted of shipping arms to Libya but whose conviction was overturned after he served 22 years in prison. Sept. 10. Complications from a heart-valve replacement surgery.

Sam M. Gibbons, 92: Former U.S. congressman who served 17 terms in Congress and rose to head the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Oct. 9.

Arlen Specter, 82: Outspoken ex-U.S. senator from Pennsylvania whose switch from Republican to Democrat ended a 30-year career in which he played a pivotal role in several Supreme Court nominations. Oct. 14. Complications of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

George McGovern, 90: Former U.S. senator and a Democrat who lost to President Richard Nixon in 1972 in a landslide. Oct. 21.

Russell Means, 72: Former American Indian Movement activist who helped lead the 1973 uprising at Wounded Knee and also appeared in Hollywood films. Oct. 22.

November

Warren B. Rudman, 82: Former U.S. senator who co-authored a budget balancing law, championed ethics and led a commission that predicted the danger of terrorist attacks years before Sept. 11. Nov. 19. Complications of lymphoma.

Oscar Niemeyer, 104: Architect who recreated Brazil’s sensuous curves in concrete and built the capital of Brasilia as a symbol of the nation’s future. Dec. 5.

Norman Joseph Woodland, 91: He was the co-inventor of the bar code that labels nearly every product in stores and has boosted productivity in nearly every sector of commerce worldwide. Dec. 9.

Ravi Shankar, 92: The sitar virtuoso who became a hippie musical icon of the 1960s after hobnobbing with the Beatles and who introduced traditional Indian ragas to Western audiences over an eight-decade career. Dec. 11.

Jack Klugman, 90: Actor who made an art of gruffness in 1970s and 80s TV in “The Odd Couple” and “Quincy, M.E.” Dec. 24.

H. Norman Schwarzkopf, 78: General who commanded the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait in 1991. Dec. 27.

Dick Clark, 82. The ever-youthful television entrepreneur helped bring rock ’n’ roll into the mainstream on “American Bandstand,” and later produced and hosted game shows and the year-end countdown from Times Square. He died April 19.

Associated Press file photo

Dick Clark, 82. The ever-youthful television entrepreneur helped bring rock ’n’ roll into the mainstream on “American Bandstand,” and later produced and hosted game shows and the year-end countdown from Times Square. He died April 19.

Whitney Houston, 48. She ruled as pop music’s queen until her majestic voice was ravaged by drug use and her regal image ruined by erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown. She accidentally drowned in a bathtub Feb. 11.

Associated Press file photo

Whitney Houston, 48. She ruled as pop music’s queen until her majestic voice was ravaged by drug use and her regal image ruined by erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown. She accidentally drowned in a bathtub Feb. 11.